KSF joins search operation in Ujman

2025-07-29 15:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Members of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), in coordination with KFOR, have launched a search operation in Lake Ujman, in northern Kosovo, after two days ago a person is suspected of jumping from one of the bridges of this lake and never coming out of the water.

Acting Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, said that the KSF was engaged in supporting civil authorities in the search for the body of an immigrant who jumped from a bridge into Lake Ujman.

"The Kosovo Security Force, within the framework of its essential tasks, also has the support of civil authorities. In this regard, in cooperation with the Emergency Management Agency, the Kosovo Police and in coordination with KFOR, specialized KSF teams have begun the search operation in Lake Ujman with the aim of retrieving the body of the migrant as soon as possible and easing the pain of the family," Maqedonci wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, during a statement to the media in Ujman, the executive director of the Emergency Management Agency, Genc Metaj, said that the day before, this agency had submitted a request for the KSF's involvement in the search operation.

The deployment of the KSF to the north of the country is possible only with the prior consent of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, based on the 2013 commitment by the Government of Kosovo to NATO. This commitment, given through a letter from former Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi to the then NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, remains in force today, despite changes in the KSF’s mandate.

KFOR: The operation is taking place under specific conditions

The KFOR mission confirmed that its commander, Major General Enrico Barduani, authorized the KSF to deploy search and rescue teams in the Ujman Lake area.

The KFOR announcement states that the authorization was granted for humanitarian reasons, in full accordance with the powers of the KFOR commander.

"The operation is taking place under specific conditions set by KFOR, which will also ensure its smooth operation," the announcement states.

"The KSF's engagement in this case is in line with its initial mandate, which includes assistance to local communities in cases of natural disasters and search and rescue operations."

A 33-year-old man is suspected of jumping from a bridge in Ujman on Sunday afternoon. Ujman is located in Zubin Potok, one of four municipalities in northern Kosovo inhabited by a Serb majority.

So far, search and rescue operations have been carried out by the Kosovo Police, the Kosovo Search and Rescue Association, and firefighters. Meanwhile, following this incident, the Kosovo Police has called on citizens not to jump from the bridge in Ujman.

Otherwise, the KSF is in the process of transforming itself into an army, following the approved legal changes. This process is expected to be completed in 2028./ REL